One of the products I received as part of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic was a Mavea water filter pitcher (yes, I know, it’s not what most people expect to see at a cocktail event). Nonetheless, I was interested in a water filter that appeared to be better than my Brita.
Mavea pitcher design
The first thing I noticed about the Mavea pitcher was that it’s larger than my Brita — almost twice the size. Fortunately, I have a large fridge that isn’t overly filled. Even though it is larger, the Mavea pitcher is made from lighter materials, so it all evens out.
Most impressive, is the design. For years I’ve dealt with spills from my Brita. The lid constantly falls off if I forget to hold it on; and it doesn’t give the smoothest of pours. I also never liked that I had to lift the lid to pour water into the filter. Mavea fixed these problems. Every piece snaps together so it doesn’t fall apart. And the lid is designed so water pours directly in without having to move any parts.
Difference in Mavea filter
I’ve gotten used to seeing the little flecks of carbon in the Brita pitcher, but I still didn’t like it. The Mavea filter has a screen to keep those flecks of carbon where they belong. The company also took the guess work out of replacing the filter. There’s a digital meter on the pitcher that tells you when the filter is no longer functional. It lasted a full two months with the Jersey City water, which is about average for a water filter (I also tend to drink a lot of water, coffee, and tea).
What intrigued me most about the Mavea pitcher is that the filters are recyclable. The company will pay for shipping to return them. Unfortunately, the filters are more expensive than the Brita filters — I usually spend $10 for a pack of three, but these are about $8 each. I have found some cheaper ones on Amazon, but they’re much more expensive when shipping is added. In addition to the green factor of the filters, the entire pitcher is recyclable.
My hope was that this pitcher would be useful outside the US — tap water around here really isn’t dangerous. Unfortunately, there isn’t a water filter pitcher on the market (at least not that I’ve seen) that can eliminate bacteria. It did remind me that it could be used in major Chinese cities — there were public drinking water dispensers in Shenzhen that charged 1 Yuan for a liter of drinkable water, though I was skeptical of the quality.
Disclosure: Mavea supplied this pitcher with one filter for this review. There was no other compensation.
